Day: February 16, 2011

Competition is not always thought to be a friendly word. Pictures of hair-pulling, whining, learned helplessness, failure or success come to mind. However I’m happy to say that we can put away that old grudge and open our arms to what competition can offer.

We are sharper intellectually when we compete. It is stimulating and good brain exercise.

We feel better when we compete. It releases dopamine, the feel-good neurotransmitter (brain messenger.)

We are more likely to win in self-care when we include competition. Some people call it, “Making a game out of it.” But that is really just saying, get competitive in a friendly way. For example, this is one of the few successful ways to get long-term success with weight loss.

We are able to connect with others easier when we compete, believe it or not. Competition is in fact a way to get out of isolation. Pretty cool.

Competition can increase productivity – a boost to one’s quality of life and self-esteem.

Today I was speaking with my daughter’s teacher about bits of this concept. I am hoping that more competition is integrated into her school curriculum. For example, her daily writing could be shared with two fellow students of like abilities and vice versa. She would read what they wrote, coalesce the information into her own thoughts, and write her response.

She would be working on:

Writing

Reading

Interpretive thinking

Learning how to let her thoughts travel the sometimes seemingly endless road between her mind and out her fingers.

Productivity

Connecting with peers/socialization

Personal achievement/self-esteem/confidence

more….

Question: What role has competition played in your own self-care? Please tell me your story.